“Only at Tulane, Only in New Orleans.” This is a phrase that rings true for every Tulanian, and embodies student life here in New Orleans. From the gumbo food trucks on campus to the Mardi Gras bead tree, there really is no other university like Tulane. And you can take my word for it, because I experienced another college before coming here. As a transfer student, I have now been exposed to two completely different sets of classes, and studied in the Communications and Political Science departments at both a large state school, and a smaller liberal arts one. Let me tell you, it really is different down here. Because of the city we live in, we have so many incredible learning opportunities with original classes in the Tulane curriculum. Why not take advantage of them? I want to share with you some of the most unique classes to take here at Tulane. However, I can’t take the credit for coming up with this idea on my own. Jeff Schiffman (the Director of Admissions, Romney Cycling instructor, Tulane alum, and my overall favorite person) first wrote about “Twelve Cool Classes” on his admissions blog. Check out his article and take notes about what classes you might want to take next semester. Below I’ve added to the list of amazing classes that Tulane has to offer.
MUSC-1900: Music in New Orleans
This is a class that I mentioned in my previous article. It explores the cultural history of how jazz and blues music was created in the Crescent City. It’s the best class I’ve ever taken, and our textbook is a biography of Louis Armstrong. I don’t think I need to say more.
ANTH 3745: Bioarchaeology of Mummies
This class explores the connection made between preserved human bodies and history. Although the closest I’ve gotten to a mummy is the ride at Universal Studios, learning about death and the afterlife seems like a pretty cool way to spend fifty minutes of your day.
SOCI 1080: Deviant Behavior
All my friends say that this is by far the most interesting class they’ve taken at Tulane. It examines the forms of human behavior and social constructions around them. It does this with material about drugs, abortion, and prostitutes, and why people discriminate against others.
POLA 3272: Big Easy Politics
Where else can you take a class about the political climate of New Orleans? It’s so important to know about the issues facing the place we call home.
TIDE 1430: Myth & Real NOLA Food/Drink
As a Tides class, this subject is offered only to freshmen. If you’re reading this as a high school senior and you’re coming to Tulane next year, I strongly recommend this class. New Orleans is a city that is known for its epic cuisine and never-ending flow of drinks. Take this class to learn a little bit more about our city.
ENLS 4860: Feminism in Trumplandia
Our political climate today is like no other. This class, as you can tell by the name, explores the relationship between women and Trump’s society. The good, the bad, and the ugly are all discussed in this class and I encourage you to take it during the President’s current term.
GERM 3440: Representing Holocaust
As someone raised in a Jewish home, preserving the memory of the Holocaust and those of the survivors is extremely important to me. This class takes on an interesting perspective as it explores both the Nazi and Jewish sides, as well as many others.
CLAS 1040: Mythology
Do you remember Disney’s Hercules? This class is basically that, but you get credit for it.
DANC 1930- Brazilian Dance
This class gives a basic introduction to Brazilian dance, and focuses on the cultural history and context of how dancing impacted the identities of Brazilian people. Can you say fun?
So once you get all of your core curriculum classes out of the way, sign up for one of these classes that I told you about, or that Jeff Schiffman mentioned in his blog. College is a place to learn about a subject that has no value in your career, explore the cultural history of the city you live in, and fall in love with as many random things as possible. Because of the incredibly diverse and unique curriculum, Tulane wants you to do all these things. Take advantage of the classes we have here.
COVER PHOTO: Tulane University
